The 7th Mouse
by DKscribe88
Summary: DK proudly presents a retelling of a classic tale you won't soon forget. Setsuna, Konoka and many more star in this humorous rendition of Roger's and Hammerstein's Cinderella! Pairings: KonoSetsu, ManaKaede and others. Rated K plus for mild violence and slightly suggestive situations. Enjoy!
1. Chapter 1

**AUTHOR STRONGLY SUGGESTS THAT YOU READ THE FOLLOWING FOREWORD. IT CONTAINS VITAL INFORMATION REGARDING THIS STORY AND FUTURE UPDATES TO HANYO HAVEN AND PAPARAZZI POETRY, ALTHOUGH YOU CAN PROBABLY SKIP THE FIRST PARAGRAPH UNLESS YOU'RE INTERESTED IN MY PERSONAL LIFE. THANK YOU -DK**

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><p>What's up my readers? Extremely long time, no write. Sorry about that, my bad. My schedule was seriously messed up and busy until just recently. My sis got married and I was a bridesmaid. And if any of you have ever been a bridesmaid before, you know it takes a lot of frickin' work, time, and money to pull that off. You have to buy a dress, you gotta pay for alterations, you gotta buy the shoes, hair, makeup... It is a butch lesbian's nightmare! All I know is that they damn well better not get divorced! Also, I have yet again taken a journey into the thespian arts. I was in my dad's church's Christmas play as the nosey neighbor's sarcastic sister. I was actually playing two parts in that play. One as the character, and one as the straight Christian. Trust me, being onstage is nothing compared to living a lie most of your waking life. I fake being straight at work, at church, and whenever I'm with my dad's extended, super religious, low educated, conservative, republican family. My mom's family all know I'm gay and are fine with it. My dad, his wife, and my biological sister and her husband also know I'm gay. The others are completely freaking clueless! I'm sure that if any one of you were to meet me, you'd automatically pin me as gay, but these small town hicks I'm related to and the slightly more educated people I work with just think I'm a very short haired, extremely tomboyish straight girl. It's just sad. Oh, and get this. My aunt, whom I am thankfully not blood related to actually believes that all gay people were sexually abused at some point in their life and are so traumatized that they chose to go homo. Now I don't know about any of you guys, but I personally do not recall ever having been molested. That's something I don't think I'd forget. Please, someone agree with me that she is an ignorant moron. And I know a lot of you are thinking, just put them out of their misery and tell them. Now I would, but I have an aversion to having half of the people I'm related to hating me. Plus, it would be so much easier if I actually had a girlfriend as proof, and for emotional support. But alas, I am still single.<p>

Anywho, now that both the play, and the wedding are over I can finally get back to the one thing I'm really good at. Writing. Now, admittedly I have not written, or even looked at Paparazzi Poetry for the longest time. I will get back to it. I promise. I am in the process of writing a new chapter for Hanyo Haven, but it's a hard chapter to write. Most of that story consists of Setsuna torture so far, which for some strange reason I'm able to write with ease. But after writing that last, disturbing chapter, I feel the need to move the storyline along, so the chapter I'm working on will involve the king and that little weasel Remy. That's all I'm gonna say about it though. It's gonna take some time, so I'm placating you with this new story.

Disclaimer: I do not now, nor have I ever owned Negima?! That work of genius is Mr. Ken Akamatsu's. Not mine. I also do not own Roger's and Hammerstein's Cinderella. I'm referring to the remake with Brandy, as I have yet to see the original. But I don't own either. I own my talent for writing, nothing else.

**PLEASE READ NEXT PARAGRAPH. VERY IMPORTANT**

Now, as for this story, I promise you that it will be quite different from anything else I have written and posted so far because of one very big thing. The whole story is already written. That means no waiting for new chapters, no excuses for writer's block, no nothing to delay my publishing it. Only one thing controls how long it takes for this story's chapters to be posted.

**REVIEWS! REVIEWS! REVIEWS!**

Basically, when I see enough reviews, I will post the next chapter. I will not be adding to future chapters, because that would cause a delay, and also they are perfect just the way they are. I will say that the chapters vary in length quite a bit. There are a few that are only 4 pages long, and some that are 8-12 pages long. The story without the foreword came to about 20,000 words. Not a long story, but I'll always remember what my writing professor Mr. Kramer said. It's not about quantity, it's about quality. And this story contains a high quality and quantity of laughs, and I truly hope you enjoy it. So now, without further ado, I present a parody of Rodger's and Hammerstein's Cinderella…

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><p>The 7th Mouse<p>

This is the story of Cinderella. Well, that's not quite accurate. This is actually a story that has her in it, but her name's not Ella. It's Konoka. Cinder-Konoka. And the story's not so much about her, as it is about a mouse. A white mouse. One of seven who were chosen by the Fairy Godmother to become Cinder-Konoka's servants during her magical night at the castle. But this accounting is quite different from the one most of you are used to hearing. Perhaps I should just start at the beginning…

Chapter 1

Once upon a time there was a mouse, and she, along with her six friends, lived in a cage that a young girl, Cinder-Konoka, kept in her room, which doubled as the house's kitchen. The mice were Cinder-Konoka's only friends, and they listened as she told about her day, and the terrible things her stepmother and stepsister's made her do.

"…and then they made me clean the whole house from attic to cellar, so I decided to do this room last, since I get to spend time with you. Oh, Love, how I wish I could just leave this place. But as you know, it was my father's dying wish to keep the family together, so I can't. Oh, if only he'd known how Stepmother would change. Then I bet he wouldn't mind if I left." Cinder-Konoka reached up to her shoulder and stroked the small, white mouse's head. Out of the seven mice she kept as pets, this one was her favorite. She had named it Love, since it seemed to love attention from her more than the other mice. It would always run right up to the cage door when she came back to her room, and as soon as she opened the cage, it would crawl up her outstretched arm, tickling with its mousy feet, and perch on her shoulder. And then, it would seem to listen to her daily problems and actually understand them. Whenever she would talk about something bad that happened, it would put a paw on her cheek as if to comfort her. And when she talked about finding her true love, as she often did, and receiving her first kiss, the mouse would put its nose to her skin and seem to kiss her cheek, which always made her laugh from the ticklish whiskers. But alas, it was just a mouse, and couldn't possibly understand…or could it? Cinder-Konoka was about to go over the tedious plans her stepmother had in store for tomorrow, when she heard…

"Cinder-Konoka! Get out here, now!"

"Well, I gotta put you back in your cage, Love. Stepmother is calling." Cinder-Konoka gently picked Love up in her hand, and placed it back in its cage and closed the door. Then, she looked around cautiously, and finding no one, pulled out a wand from inside her sleeve. Cinder-Konoka had a secret that only her mice and father knew about. She was a mage. Knowing how her step-relatives hated animals of all kinds, Cinder-Konoka waved her wand over the cage.

"Seven mice who are so white, become invisible to all this night." She tapped the cage once, and to any who might have been watching, the mice would seem to have vanished. Once that was done, Cinder-Konoka slid her wand back up her sleeve and quickly left the room.

Love sighed as she watched the girl go. Then she turned away to go to her sleeping corner. As she walked by, she was noticed by the tallest of the other mice. Cinder-Konoka called this one 'Ninja", as she always seemed to be there one minute and gone the next.

"Back from your date so soon, Setsuna? Don't tell me it didn't work out between you two. I thought you made a rather promising couple." Ninja remarked sarcastically.

"Aw, knock it off Kaede. She was just called away by one of the evil witches. She'll be back. Stupid step-people. Why don't they just leave Konoka the squeak alone?" Love, whose actual name was Setsuna, scowled. She was, for lack of a better word, in love with Cinder-Konoka. And it made her furious down to her mousy bones that the girl was bullied so by the step-people. She wished with every hair of her body that Cinder-Konoka would return her love, although she couldn't quite figure out how a relationship would work between them. As she pondered this, she was suddenly bowled over by two small, white, furry blurs. She yelped as she tumbled into the cage wall and landed in an undignified heap. She growled at the two blurs. "Grr, Fuka! Fumika! Watch where the squeak you're going!"

"Sorry, Setsuna! Kaede, Fuka won't stop chasing me! Tell her to leave me alone."

The smallest of the mice were the twins. Cinder-Konoka named them Chaos and Trouble, since that's what they caused whenever she let them run free. But to the mouse community, they were Fuka and Fumika. Kaede sighed.

"Now girls, can't you see that I'm in the middle of teasing Setsuna? Go wrestle somewhere else." The twins pouted, as much as mice can pout, until Fumika lost interest and began to chase Fuka, intent on revenge. Satisfied that her two pesky cousins, whom she could hardly believe she was related to, were occupied, Kaede turned back to her unhappy friend, who had picked herself up and shook her fur out agitatedly. "Now Setsuna, you know we mice don't meddle in the affairs of humans, so why is it that you insist on being around Miss CK all the time? Don't tell me you're really in love with her?" Silence greeted her comment. Kaede stared in shock. "You're really in love with her, aren't you?" More silence. "Oh my squeaking God! Setsuna, you can't be serious. A mouse and a human? It's against the laws of nature! Not to mention the fact that you're both girls!" At this Setsuna could not keep silent.

"And now who's the pot calling the kettle black?" Kaede feigned ignorance.

"I have no idea what you're talking about." Setsuna's furry face took on a smug look.

"I know all about your little rendezvous with that forest mouse. What was her name again? Oh, yeah. Mana. Don't bother to deny it," she cut off the taller mouse, who had been preparing to speak. "I found a little something just the other day that proves it. A wood shaving, thicker than most, carved by a mouse-made knife. The words 'Mana' and 'Kaede' with a heart in-between ring any bells with you?" Kaede had nothing to say to this. What could she say? But she knew she still had an argument about different species being with each other, but before she could say anything…

"All right! What's all the racket going on over here? It's getting so that a mouse can't get any sleep around here." Two more mice, one rather short and the other near as tall as Kaede approached. The complaint had come from the shorter mouse, in a posh British accent. Cinder-Konoka called this one 'Little Devil' because she was always mean to the other mice. She would have left her to fend for herself, but Cinder-Konoka was too kindhearted to do that.

"It's none of your squeaking business, Evangeline!" Setsuna snapped. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I-" Setsuna had begun to walk away, only to run into the taller mouse that had been with Evangeline. Cinder-Konoka called this one 'Guard' because that's what it did. It seemed to guard Little Devil, following her everywhere and never allowing the other mice near her shorter charge. Said mouse abruptly grabbed Setsuna by the scruff of her neck and turned her to face an angry dwarfish mouse.

"You should not use such language, Setsuna. You owe Master an apology." Setsuna struggled, but the other refused to let go.

"Dammit, Chachamaru, let me the squeak go!" Setsuna had quite the bad language problem, and felt no need to do anything about it. Chachamaru, who had been Evangeline's servant even before she had migrated from Britain, did not take kindly to such language. Especially if it was directed towards her master. Evangeline liked to think she was in charge, ruling with an iron paw. And everyone knows that you do not speak to your leader in such a manner. But Setsuna, and all but one of the others, refused to bend to her whims. Thus, a near constant set of conflicts, much like the one Setsuna was in now, occurred during everyday life. Setsuna's struggles continued, attracting the attention of the twins and the final member of the seven mousehold, Makie. A fairly dimwitted rodent, she typically wandered around doing nothing in particular, until she found something that captured her incredibly short, ADD interest. Cinder-Konoka had named her 'Ditzy'. Skirmishes like the one she was witnessing were common enough, but since nothing else had happened that day, Makie decided she would watch and see if anything came of it. Nothing did. Knowing her battle was a losing one, Setsuna quickly gave up, apologized in a tone of voice that showed she didn't mean it at all, and promptly left after she was released. Going over to her sleeping corner, she turned around a few times, then with a heavy sigh, curled into a little ball and went to sleep, thoughts of a certain chocolate haired girl in her head.

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><p>And that's a wrap, Jack! So, questions, comments, critiques, requests to go on a date with me, all are welcome in the review link. And reviews will keep this story coming. First review goal: 7 reviews. And please, try to be more original and deep than just sending me something like '2 funny!' I'd appreciate a little bit more than two words. I'll be more specific. 7 decently written reviews, each with at least 4 complete sentences in them. That is what it will take for a new chapter to be posted.<p>

I have now cut down the time I have to sleep before I get up for a labor intensive work night to 1 hour. And I'm currently feeling under the weather. Oh, well. You reap what you sow. Have a Happy New Year and Peace out, Readers!


	2. Chapter 2

What's up my readers! Well, I guess I was asking too much from most of you for 7 reviews. But admittedly that first chapter was a bit small for what I was asking. Tell you what, I am willing to only ask for a few more reviews, although I won't tell you how many, before I upload chapter 3. Otherwise you'll try and take the easy way out and not review once you see others have already reached the goal.

Disclaimer: Don't own Negima?! Nor do I lay any claims on Rodger's and Hammerstein's 'Cinderella'.

Thank you to those of you who did review my first chapter. At the urging of konochan-kaioh I have decided to give unto you the next installment of this series. So, without further ado…

Chapter 2

The next day, Cinder-Konoka spent most of her day in town carrying all of the things her step-relatives bought. Meanwhile, Setsuna waited for her return as she always did. The other mice occupied themselves as best they could. Evangeline napped as Chachamaru stood guard; Makie wandered around in a daze singing songs with meaningless lyrics like, 'I like stuff,' and the twins spied on Kaede. She was near the side of the cage furthest from all the others, talking to a tall, brown furred mouse that was outside the bars. As the day moved on toward evening Setsuna's keen ears heard the rattling of the front door. Kaede heard it too, and quickly told Mana to hide. Mana nodded, and with a quick nuzzle of farewell, she swiftly descended the table and scurried into a rarely used cupboard. The next thing Setsuna heard was the shrill sound of two voices.

"Cinder-Konoka, hot water!"

"Cinder-Konoka, warm milk!" And then in unison…

"Cinder-Konoka!" After that, Cinder-Konoka came into the kitchen, which doubled as her bedroom, and put a pot of water over the fire, which somehow, even after she had been out all day, was still going. While she waited for it to boil, she sang a song. One she would sing quite often when she was alone. It was about all the things she pretended to be, instead of a servant to her 'family'. Once the song ended, Cinder-Konoka seemed to stare off into space, dreaming of a life far away from her current situation.

_Bang!_ The doors to the kitchen slammed open and a stern-looking woman with long, blond hair stomped into the room. Two girls, also with rather stern faces followed close behind. One with blond hair, like her mother's, the other with red hair in long twin tails.

"Cinder-Konoka, what _is_ taking so long?! Where is our tea?"

Now, Nekane hadn't always been so mean, but her first experiences with men hadn't gone so well, and they all left her. Her heart grew harder and colder with each failed relationship, and eventually she learned the art of manipulation by copying what her ex-partners had done to her and using it to her full advantage. That's how she had snared all three of her husbands. The first, she had actually loved. But he died shortly after their daughter's 12th birthday. Nekane had been sad, but a year or so later she remarried, and gained a stepdaughter. The girl was unrefined and brutish, but Nekane managed to get her to fall in line with a few well-thought-out bribes. But soon, that relationship also ended with the untimely death of the male counterpart. And so, taking both girls in hand, she walked straight into Cinder-Konoka's life and swept her father clean off his feet. They were married within 3 months, and he died within 8. By then, Nekane's heart was so frozen that his death hadn't fazed her a bit. However, she did decide to change tactics. This time, instead of getting herself a new husband, she was going to focus on her daughters. Specifically, the first two she'd acquired. The third was quite gorgeous, but she was a meek little mouse that was easy to control. Well, after her last husband's death the servants all left or were fired, so who else was going to take on the chores of the house? Certainly not her.

As for the two sisters, they were a bit different. The blond, Ayaka, had learned very early on the ways of manipulation and how to use people to gain what she wanted. Her mother had made sure of that. "It's the only way women like us can survive. People were born to use other people. Selfishness is just a word used by people who can't admit that they are the very thing they claim to hate. The number one rule in this world is 'use or be used'." That is what her mother had always said. And that is what Ayaka did. After her father died and she got a new daddy, she used him to her utmost advantage. If she wanted something, all she had to do was threaten to tell her mother that he had done something to her. It worked every single time. It also worked the same with Cinder-Konoka's father. However, he had been so kind that she hadn't even needed to resort to such distasteful tactics. But she did so anyways, if only so that her mother would be proud of her.

And then there was the fiery red-head, Asuna. You could say she started off as a good little girl, much like Cinder-Konoka. You could say that, but you'd be lying. Asuna was an uncouth, loudmouthed little brat as a child who constantly got into fights with other children. What she lacked in intelligence she made up for with brute strength and boar-like stubbornness. When she first got a stepmother she fought it tooth and nail. And that statement is to be taken literally. She would bite and claw and kick and punch whenever she had to interact with either her new mother or sister. Ayaka would always get caught up in the frenzy and fight back, but Nekane wanted to avoid useless bloodshed, so instead she resorted to bribery. It took a rather large chunk out of her bank account, but everyone has their price, and Asuna's father could afford it.

But Cinder-Konoka was different. She was sweet, and kind to Nekane as soon as she had met her. And the weird thing was that she continued to be so even when her father wasn't in the room with them, and she _meant_ it! Nekane tried to bribe her anyway, but just when she'd finished asking her to do something and would begin to mention what would be in it for the girl, Cinder-Konoka would agree to do it for free. Nekane soon realized that Cinder-Konoka would never be good for anything, other than a doormat. And when her father finally died that is what she became; a doormat.

And now back to the story…

"Cinder-Konoka, hurry up! What _is_ taking so long?" Nekane gave her a look that sent her scurrying into the kitchen area.

"Yes, I'm sorry. Right away, Stepmother." She quickly began gathering all of the things she needed to make tea, when all of a sudden Ayaka let out a shrill scream.

"Aah! A mouse!" She leapt up on the table, her mother quickly joining her. Cinder-Konoka's first reaction was to look toward the cage, where the white mice were still invisible to the human eye, but then she noticed where her step-sister was looking. One of the cupboard doors was slightly open, and a brown furred mouse, one that Konoka had occasionally seen near the white mice's cage, was attempting to free its tail, which had been pinched between the cupboard doors. Asuna had a different reaction. She swiftly grabbed a broom in her hands and charged toward the cupboard, an intent-to-kill written clearly on her face. Wanting to save the little mouse, Cinder-Konoka innocently stuck out a foot, tripping the fiery redhead and sending her sprawling onto the floor. Her momentum kept her going until she slammed into the wall. The resulting force of her hit jolted the cupboard door back open, and the brown mouse sprang free, scurrying swiftly up a small table and out the nearby window. Asuna got up from her painful introduction to the wall, and limped angrily over to Cinder-Konoka.

"Damnit, Cinder-Konoka! You stupid klutz! Why can't you ever do anything right? I almost had 'em! Next time, stay out of my way!" Cinder-Konoka flinched at her sister's words.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to get in your way…" Cinder-Konoka curled in on herself, putting her face in her hands and crying. Asuna was about to say more, when Nekane's hand touched her shoulder. The older woman looked coldly at the crying girl.

"Stop sobbing and bring our tea into the sitting room. Come girls, we have much to discuss." And with that, they left. Cinder-Konoka tried desperately to stop crying. She knew she had to get herself together quickly, or she would get yelled at again. So, forcing herself to move, she gathered up the tea tray, and walked hesitantly through the kitchen doors.

Meanwhile…Setsuna's little furry body was shaking with rage. Kaede came over, having also witnessed the scene. She had hoped that Mana would have the good sense to stay hidden until the humans left, but her love had always been a risk taker. So Kaede hadn't been too surprised when she noticed the cupboard door inch open, and Mana silently attempting an escape. What did surprise her, was when a stray breeze blew through the window, swinging the door shut on Mana's tail and trapping her. Mana usually didn't make mistakes, but she guessed there was no accounting for weather.

"Wow, that was some performance, huh?" Kaede tried to make light of it, attempting to calm her friend down.

"How dare that mother squeaker say those things to my Miss Konoka?!" She paced back and forth along the cage wall agitatedly, throwing cage bedding everywhere. "Oh, if only I were their size, I'd knock 'em down a peg, or two. They'd regret ever having messed with _my_ Miss Konoka!" Kaede's ears perked up.

"_Your_ Miss Konoka? Since when did she become yours? And I thought her name was Cinder-Konoka." Setsuna stopped pacing and looked at her friend.

"Her real name is Konoka. Only the step-people call her Cinder-Konoka. They make fun of her because she likes to sit close to the fire and when the ash cinders fall on her, her face gets smudged. And she isn't mine…"

"But you wish she was. You know it's impossible."

"So? I know it's never gonna happen Kaede, ok? I'm not stupid, but I can't change who I love. And I love Miss Konoka. But you're right, it is impossible." At the word 'impossible' another strange breeze flew through the room, ruffling the mice's fur.

"That was weird." Kaede commented. Setsuna nodded in agreement. The strange moment was soon forgotten, however, when a squeak of greeting was heard. Kaede's head turned sharply at the sound.

"Mana!" She darted toward the cage corner closest to the window. The brown mouse was walking slowly toward her love, her movements stiff with pain. "Oh, Mana! Are you ok?" Kaede asked worriedly.

"Yeah, I'm fine. My back hurts a little bit, and my tail got squished a bit from the door." Mana winced and held her tail gently.

"Oh, poor baby! Let nurse Kaede see." Kaede stretched out her paws, tenderly feeling her love's tail for any broken bones. Upon finding nothing but severe bruising, she hugged Mana as tight as could be allowed through the cage bars.

"Oh, you should be more careful Mana-dono. You're not invincible you know." Setsuna heard this and stomped over, livid.

"Not to mention your stupid mother-squeaking stunt got Miss Konoka yelled at. Why I outta rip you ears off for that!" Mana smirked at the mini-mouse in front of her.

"I'd like to see you try, short stuff!" Kaede face pawed. That was not the smartest thing to say to a badmouthed rodent with a height complex.

"Why you mo-" *_Bing-Bong*_

Author: I'm sorry. Due to the graphic nature of these statements, the author is forced to edit out the following scene. Thank y-

Setsuna: Edit?! Nuh-uh. _I'm_ the star here. I don't get edited. Here! (_shoves book at narrator)_

Narrator: Huh? What's this?

Setsuna: The NR version. Chop chop!

Author: Wait, you can't just- _(Yuunagi unsheathes menacingly)_ Uh…Never mind. You don't need me to tell you what to do. I'm just the author, what do I know? Ha-ha. Bye! _(author disappears in cloud of dust)_

Setsuna: You were saying?

Narrator: Right. Uh...Can I at least give the readers a warning?

Setsuna: *sigh* If you must.

Narrator: Due to the graphic nature of the following statements, children, sissies, girly-girls, and some species of small dogs are advised to scroll ahead. This has been a public service announcement.

_*Bing-Bong*_

"Why you mother-squeaking squeak squeak squeak squeak squeak, dog licking squeak squeak squeak squeak squeak squeak squeak, hippopotamus squeak squeak squeak squeak squeak squeak I'll bust squeak squeak squeak squeak squeak squeak, and then I'll tear out your squeak squeak squeak squeak pliers, squeak squeak squeak squeak squeak squeak rubber duck squeak squeak squeak squeak squeak stab you in the eye with a really hot French fry squeak squeak and then I'll rip squeak squeak squeak squeak squeak squeak and mail it to your mother!"

Setsuna stood there, panting furiously with fur bristling. Mana and Kaede stared with their mouths open in shock. It took a few minutes for them to recover, and then Mana smirked.

"I dare you to come out here and say that." Setsuna balked at the thought of having to say all that again, and collapsed, breathless. Mana 1, Setsuna 0.

And that's a wrap! Hope you liked it. And don't forget to…

**REVIEW!**

The sooner you do, the sooner you can tune in for the next hilarious adventure! See ya next time, and peace out, readers!


	3. Chapter 3

Hi readers. Sorry I don't have a more upbeat introduction for you, but I'm not all that happy right now. A friend of my father died a few days ago, and I think I'm still in shock. I just don't get it. He was fine the last time I talked to him, and now he's gone… Well, I read the previous chapter and this one for any mistakes and it cheered me up a little bit. I hope it does the same for you.

Disclaimer: I don't own _Negima!_ And if any of you can spot the reference made to a certain video game in this chapter I will give you props in the next chapter, but only if you name the game in your **REVIEW!**

Without further ado…

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><p>Chapter 3<p>

As evening settled in, the mice heard the sound of hooves clopping up to the cottage door. Shortly after, they moved away at a steady trot, and Konoka entered the room. She swiftly undid the spell that kept the rodents hidden, and held her hand toward the now unlatched cage door. Setsuna scurried up as fast as her paws could carry her. As she settled down on Konoka's shoulder, she could feel it shaking as the girl let out quiet sobs.

"Th-they're gone. I-it's not fair. I wanted to g-go too, b-but she w-wouldn't let me…" Konoka let out more sobs until she felt a cool little paw upon her tearstained cheek. "Oh, Love…I wish…I wish I could go to the ball…" As soon as the words left her mouth, another strange wind blew through the room, and a tinkling sound could be heard by the window.

"Falderall and fiddle-di…Oh whatever. Suck it up, you whiner!" Konoka jumped at the sudden, harsh voice.

"What? Who said that?" She looked towards the window and saw a strange girl standing outside, glaring at her behind evilly glinting glasses. She had long, light-brown hair done up in a ponytail, and a sharp, unforgiving face, and eyes narrowed in a constant condescending glare. She wore the strangest getup Konoka had ever seen, but to most people reading this story the yellow zip-up hoodie, dark blue and white plaid skirt, and black and white striped socks with black sneakers would be considered normal. (A/N: for the outfit, picture volume 21 cover art of the English manga, but with my described colors.) "Uh…who are you?"

"I'm your fairy-"

"God-mother?! Oh yay! I've always wanted one of th-" A rude palm thrust in her direction interrupted her joyous rant.

"Slow your roll, sister. I am NOT your fairy god-mother. Geez, do I look old enough to be anyone's mother?" The girl griped.

"Well, if you're not my fairy god-mother, then who are you?"

"How 'bout you shut the hell up and let me finish my intro and maybe you'll find out? Sheesh! And will you let me inside? I'm getting cold here." Konoka scrambled to open the back door, but when she looked outside, the girl had vanished.

"Where-"

"You know it's rude to keep a guest waiting. Are we gonna do this thing, or what?" Konoka jumped at the sudden voice and turned to face the house, seeing the rather impolite girl standing in the kitchen with her arms crossed, glaring at her.

"I'm sorry!" She quickly ran back inside.

"Now, as I was saying before I was _so_ rudely interrupted. I am you fairy technical support agent, Chisame Hasegawa. For a low, low price of 80 bucks per magic spell I can help you nab the prince of your dreams. So, how 'bout it? Wanna hook up with rich boy and bare an heir or two?" Chisame raised her eyebrows suggestively, making Konoka blush, and Setsuna see red.

"How dare you talk to Miss Konoka like that, ya four-eyed squeakin' freak! I oughtta rearrange that ugly face of yours! And a tech support agent? What kind of a lame ass squeakin' title is that? What a geek!" Chisame's gaze narrowed sharply at Konoka's left shoulder where Setsuna still perched.

"Well, it seems you have a serious rodent problem. Your hair has been infested by a foul-mouthed mouse. And since it seems so eager to join in our little conversation, I think it would only be fair that everyone hear what it has to say." Chisame reached into a pocket of her shirt and took out a strange device, and placed it in her ear. At the confused look Konoka was giving her she smirked. "Magical Bluetooth. Let's me conjure spells hands free." Konoka still looked confused, so Chisame decided to demonstrate. She cleared her voice.

"Bad mouthed mouse give this a whirl, turn into a human girl!" Setsuna squeaked in fright as her body levitated before giving off a fierce flash of light. Konoka shielded her eyes, and it took several minutes of blinking before she could see again. And what she saw stunned her in an entirely different way than the magic flash had. On hands and knees before her was the most handsome girl she had ever seen. Medium length glossy black hair, beautiful pale face, deep charcoal eyes, small firm chest, slim strong abs, and shapely curved legs didn't begin to describe what she was seeing. Konoka's heart beat hard against her chest. It was so loud in her ears, she was afraid the girl would hear it. And it didn't help that the perfection before her was naked.

"Oops, my bad. Give me a second here… Ah, yes. Naked girl that we can see, wear these clothes I make for thee!" Another flash of light, less brilliant than the other happened, and the naked girl was soon sporting a black sleeveless tank-top, navy blue skinny jeans, with black Converse, and her hair was pulled up in a sideways ponytail. As with Chisame's clothes Konoka thought these clothes quite outlandish, but the girl was still the hottest thing she'd ever seen. She envied those clothes. Konoka took a few hesitant steps forward.

"Love? Is that you?" The girl looked up at the question.

"Of course it's me. Who the squeak else would I…" As she stood up, she noticed it took a lot longer to get to her full height. Confused, she looked down at her feet, and noticed she no longer had her cute pink paws, but instead she saw human feet, covered by the strange coverings they called shoes. She leaned back, quite in shock by what she saw, but instead of having a tail to safely balance on, she fell unexpectedly on her soft, human behind.

"What-what happened?" She looked at Chisame, horror etched on her face. "What did you do?" Chisame smiled wickedly at her.

"Exactly what you think I did. I changed a loudmouthed rodent into a scared, stuttering human." Setsuna slowly got back to her feet, and after some trial and error, found her balance. She then proceeded to turn quickly round and round. She felt her ears, which had turned small and were free from their baby soft fur. Her face was now free from hair, and her beautiful whiskers were also gone. She moved her hands further down, feeling the curves of human breasts, and a smooth stomach. Then she moved them around to the base of her spine, which just ended instead of tapering into the long, scaly tail that she had come to depend on for balance and was quite fond of. She looked back at Chisame, who gave her a semi-sadistic smirk. Setsuna glared back.

"Change me back right squeakin' now or I'll-whoa!" She had attempted to move forward aggressively, but lost her balance. In a panic, she grabbed ahold of the closest thing; Konoka. Not expecting the increase in weight, Konoka fell backward, and Setsuna landed on top of her on two nice, cushy airbags... She turned bright red as she realized exactly where her face had landed. She quickly got up on her hands and knees and scooted backward. "I-I'm so sorry, Miss Konoka. I di-didn't mean t-to. Please accept my humble apology." She began bowing repeatedly, too afraid to look Konoka in the eyes. Suddenly, she felt a gentle, calming hand on her shoulder. Hesitantly, she glanced up; staring into the most beautiful, chocolate brown eyes she could remember seeing.

"Um…I-it's ok, Love. I-I don't mind, really. You just don't have your balance, that's all. I understand." Konoka looked at the floor before again meeting charcoal eyes. She extended her hand. "Would you like some help?" Setsuna stared at the offered hand, before nodding and grasping it firmly. Konoka helped her up, allowing her to lean heavily on her body as they both turned to look at Chisame who was intent on cleaning her nails. Konoka made a sound in her throat to get the fairy's attention, but Chisame continued to ignore the two for a minute longer, just to annoy them. Finally she looked up and gave them both a disdainful glare.

"What're you lookin' at?"

"Well…um…aren't you going to change her back?" Konoka asked hesitantly. Chisame sighed and rolled her eyes.

"Pff, no, I am not. I happen to think that it's an improvement. And judging by how much you were staring before she received clothing, you do too." Konoka turned crimson. "Besides, she needs to be human in order to get you where you wanna go." Konoka looked at her in confusion. "The ball, remember?"

"O-oh-h yeah, that." Konoka couldn't believe it. Had she really been that engrossed in the humanization of Love that she'd forgotten possibly _the_ most important event of her life?

"Now then, hmm…What have we got to work with?" Chisame slowly eyed Konoka, up and down. Konoka noticed and began to fidget under the exposing gaze. After a few moments Chisame nodded, and snapped her fingers. In a puff of smoke, a strange object appeared in her hands. At first, it looked like a regular black square, but then the fairy flipped a latch on the side, and unfolded the square so that it had an L shaped look to it from the side. On the inside, there was another, smaller and smoother square on the side that folded up, and on the bottom side were a lot of small squares with letters, numbers, and strange symbols on them. The smoother square suddenly lit up in a bright flash of colors as Chisame tapped on the smaller squares faster than either Konoka, or Setsuna could follow.

"Alright now, we'll just let the computer scan your image," Chisame tapped a button and a strange green beam shot out from a round lens situated on the back of the top of the L. Setsuna squeaked in alarm, nearly falling over just when she'd finally found the balance to stand on her own. The beam moved up, then down over Konoka's body, before promptly disappearing back into the computer. The device began making all sorts of beeping and whirring noises before making one loud beep, announcing that it was done with its task.

"Ok, let's see what it says here. Your number one asset is your big bazooms, so we'll need to design a dress that accentuates those puppies…" Chisame continued on in quiet mumbles as she tapped on her computer some more.

A few moments later… "Aaaand, done! This dress is just the thing to leave ol' Prince Charming panting hot and heavy." The fairy chuckled lecherously before pointing first at the image of the dress, and then at Konoka. "Dress that accents boobs and butt, make this girl look like a slut!" Just as Setsuna had before, Konoka lit up in a brilliant flash of light, and the former rodent shielded her eyes. As the light died down, Setsuna opened her eyes, and went abruptly slack jawed.

(A/N: The author is not very good at describing dresses, since she hates them more than any other type of clothing in existence, so she will leave what Konoka is wearing to your imaginations, you dirty minded devils…)

"Perfect! You look like just the type of girl good Prince Nagi is so fond of. You'll be a shoo-in for the role of princess." Konoka looked down at herself, feeling quite subconscious. Hoping for some reassurance and comfort, she turned to the still open mouthed Setsuna.

"Well, Love? What do you think?" Her answer came in the form of an overdramatically large spurt of blood that burst from the other girl's nose, before she abruptly lost consciousness. Konoka freaked out and ran to Setsuna's aid. "Love? Love, can you hear me? Wake up!" Konoka patted the girl's face. Setsuna slowly came around, sitting up slowly and grabbing her head.

"_Groan…_What happened?"

"Oh, Love, you're all right!" Konoka hugged the girl close. Setsuna blushed at the view she was getting of a certain deep valley between two lofty peaks, and quickly pulled away before she fainted again.

"I-I'm fine, Miss Konoka. And I'm sorry, Love is a wonderful name, but my true name is Setsuna. Sakurazaki Setsuna."

"Setsuna? What a beautiful name." The two were about to continue their conversation when a very rude _*Ahem*_ interrupted them.

"Alright people, break it up and let's focus here. We aren't done quite yet. Oh, and by the way, your bill is up to $240. But you're in luck. One more spell at full price and the next one's half off! Now, we're going to need some form of transport. Didn't I see a pumpkin patch nearby?" Chisame snapped her fingers and disappeared, as did the cage holding the other white mice. Konoka grabbed Setsuna's hand, not noticing the red that crept onto the other girl's face, and quickly dashed outside. Chisame tapped her Magical Bluetooth in thought while her other hand typed furiously at her computer, designing the ultimate stretch-carriage complete with cup holder and authentic vinyl seats. Once that was finished, and the carriage made real, Chisame looked at the cage and six mice. Instantly, the cage was gone, and the mice held motionless.

"Hmm…which ones. Ah…these two will do nicely." A twitch of her eye and Ninja and Guard aka Kaede and Chachamaru, were separated from the others. A glint of light off her glasses, and poof! The two mice were now two girls. One sported a top hat above knee length light brown hair that was shortened in the front, and held in an outrageously long ponytail in the back. She had beautiful tanned skin , a tall, voluptuous figure, if you catch my drift, and her eyes were narrowed into slits. Her outfit suggested that of coachman, complete with fitted shirt, overcoat, black pants and knee-high boots. The other girl was also very tall, but had fair skin, blue eyes, and a sort of greenish yellow blond color to her hip length hair. The top of her head sported a continental cocked hat, and a tailored waistcoat and pants with high stockings and buckled shoes completed the outfit.

Now they both went through the similar spills and awkwardness that accompanies being transformed into a different species, but you readers don't need to hear about how top heavy Kaede took a good half hour to find a balance between her lack of tail, and gain of bust. Nor is it necessary to speak of how an eager Mana ran up her pant leg, onto her shoulder, and practically dove into her shirt, causing her to laugh and twitch uncontrollably, fall to the ground, then spring up in panic that she may have accidentally crushed her perverted, mousy girlfriend. As for Chachamaru, she was stoic as always, regardless of looking slightly like Captain Crunch without the mustache.

Chisame soon realized that Setsuna could not sport the current look she had on, because it just wouldn't fit the venue, so a quick look was all it took to change Setsuna from a modern 21st century hottie, to a still hot, but just not as obvious footman.

"Now for the rest of the mice," She cleared her throat. "Four white mice that are _so_ not, turn into four steeds that trot!" Yet another brilliant flash of light surrounded the twins, the idiot, and the midget with delusions of grandeur. Now, as you may have guessed, these four 'lucky' mice turned into the four elegant white horses that pulled the pumpkin carriage. But what you may not know, is that Chisame, in her infinitely twisted way, chose to give them the gift of speech. And Evangeline had quite a lot to say…

"Hey! What is the meaning of this? You there, fairy freak! How dare you make me into a beast of burden?! I demand to be switched with Chachamaru immediately! This is undignified! Wipe that grin off your face before I kick it off, Setsuna! This is all your fault! If you had just kept your big mouth shut, I would be the one in the top hat, Kaede'd be a footman, and you'd be back here looking at Fumika's big horsey ass!" Eva continued her rant as Kaede approached Chachamaru and gave her something. Chachamaru nodded at what she said and walked over to the livid Lipizzaner.

"Easy now, master. There's a good girl. Here, have a sugar cube." She held out the treat as Evangeline turned her anger towards her servant.

"How dare you talk to me in that fashion, Chachamaru?! You'll catch hell for this you-Mmm! Oh, yeah…that's soo good…" The footman had thrown caution to the wind and all but shoved the cube into the angry Andalusian's mouth, effectively stifling her. Setsuna quietly snorted with laughter, and even Konoka let out a muffled giggle. Luckily, the previously furious filly was too busy to notice. (A/N: Now comes the inevitable bad horse joke medley) While Eva munched happily, oblivious to the fact that her servant had just reigned her in, the twins were approached by Kaede, who urged them not to 'horse around,' and Makie was ignored as she began singing, 'The old gray mare, she ain't what she used to be.' But Chisame knew it was urgent for them to get going, plus she was getting pissed off at their antics, so she put two fingers to her lips and let out a shrill whistle.

"Alright, morons! Fall in!" Konoka and the three humanized mice quickly mustered into a straight line as Chisame eyed them all critically. She swiftly approached Konoka at the head of the line. "Listen up, Jugs! Your job is to be eye candy. You will laugh at every joke he says, no matter how stupid. You will agree with everything he says, and you will dance like you were born to do it!"

"But, I'm sorta clumsy and-"

"Shut up! I took that into account and included it in my computer's data analysis. Those slippers you're wearing ain't just for looks. They are your guarantee that you will not embarrass yourself on the dance floor. However, the verbal charm is all up to you. Don't blow it. Oh, and before I forget, make sure you bail before the clock strikes twelve. When that happens, all the magic will wear off and you'll be back to sweeping floors, so you give it all you got, or go home, understand?" Konoka nodded vigorously and the techie moved on. She now stood in front of Kaede.

"Ok, driver. Introduce yourself to your passenger. I imagine she'd like to know which mouse is which, not that _I_ care, but it'll save time in the long run. Proceed." Kaede turned to Konoka and bowed.

"Hello, Cin-er, I mean Konoka. My name is Nagase Kaede, but you might know me better as Ninja. And this," Kaede pointed to the brim of her hat, where the brown mouse sat. "Is Mana. And before Setsuna blurts it out, yes, she is my girlfriend." Mana waved a paw. Konoka smiled and waved back before Kaede continued. "And these," She gestured toward the leading pair of horses. "Are my annoying cousins Fuka and Fumika Narutaki, better known to you as Trouble and Chaos."

"Hello!" The twins said together, before Fuka attempted to bite Fumika's ear and vice versa. They quickly forgot that they were in conversation, and became enthralled in their game. Kaede rolled her eyes before facing Chisame again.

"Anything else?" she asked.

"Yeah. I got a question. Have you ever had the desire to punish your cousins when they act like idiots?"

"Yes." Kaede didn't even have to think twice about her answer.

"Glad to hear it. I have just the thing for you." Chisame put her hands behind her back and snapped her fingers. When she brought her hands back into view one of them was holding the handle of a long driving whip. With flare and a smile she presented the whip to Kaede, who received it with a grateful, and cunning grin. Satisfied that her team of horses would be properly handled, she continued down the line to her first footman.

"You, same deal. Introduce yourself and whoever's left."

"As you wish. Hello, my name is Chachamaru Karakuri, also known as Guard. I am servant to my master, Evangeline A.K. McDowell, the horse I calmed down earlier, also known as Little Devil." At this there was heard an indignant snort. Chachamaru continued. "And our final horse is Ditzy, though her real name is Makie Sasaki."

"And yes," came Eva's voice. "She's every bit as dumb as you thought she was." Makie, for once, took offense at such a directly stated insult. _Thwack!_ "Yeowch! What the hell, Makie?!"

"Sorry," she replied sweetly. "I thought I saw a fly on your rump." Eva glared at her, but she ignored it as she went back to singing. Chisame took over and once more addressed Chachamaru, and also Setsuna.

"Now then, as a footman you are to attend to Cinder-Konoka's every need. Assist her in getting in and out of her carriage, and if necessary one of you are to be her step to reach the ground. You two are her devoted inanimate objects. If she needs a place to sit, you will be her chair. If she loses her napkin offer your sleeve. If she-"

"If she loses her jacket I will wrap my arms around her and hold her close…" Setsuna said dreamily. A finger flick to the forehead jolted her from her fantasies.

"Slow down, short stuff. _That_ job is for Prince Nagi, not you, got it?" Setsuna's face turned red, although whether it was from anger, or embarrassment was not clear.

'_She's awfully cute when she's blushing…'_ Konoka thought, sighing as she dreamt up her own fantasy. But then something Chisame said caught her attention.

"Wait, did you say Prince Nagi?"

"Yeah, I did." Konoka looked confused.

"But I thought the prince's name was Negi."

"It is. Negi is throwing a birthday/matchmaker's party for his cousin, Nagi, who is prince of the neighboring realm. Nagi is turning 21, and as custom dictates if he does not choose a bride tonight his kingdom's council will decide for him. And from what I hear, their choice is about as ugly as a human can get without being genetically categorized as a monkey. I think her name is Chigusa, or something. Anyway, it's Nagi you're after, not Negi. I mean, the kid's only 13…Unless there's some jailbait fantasy you've got going on…Geez, Cin, I didn't know you swung that way. Shame on you." That was it. Setsuna had had enough.

"Alright, that does it! Stop making fun of Miss Konoka right squeakin' now, or I'll-"

"Or you'll what my little mousey? Whip me with your tail? Newsflash: you don't have one anymore! And your physical strength? Ha! Don't make me laugh. You have no power here. If I wanted to, I could snap my fingers, turn you back into the pathetic rodent you _really_ are, and cut your tail off with a blunt carving knife, and you'd have no defense. A weak little rodent like you has no chance against a being of my magical caliber. Now back off and be a good little footman and help CK here get Nagi."

"But-but what if sh-she doesn't love him? What if she decides she likes someone else?" This was Setsuna's chance to finally admit her feelings to her princess. She just hoped Konoka would pick up on her efforts. And it just might have happened, since Konoka was beginning to get that starry eyed look, except for…

"_What if she doesn't love him?"_ The fairy mocked. "Since when does love have anything to do about being happy? Y'know CK, I personally agree with your stepmother. People are born to use other people to gain happiness for themselves. That is how the world works. CK will use the prince to live the high life, and the prince will use Konoka to further his royal gene pool."

Konoka began to interrupt. "But, that's not w-"

"Enough blabbering. It's already 9:15. Just pay me what you owe and I'll let you get on your way. 12 spells at $80 per spell, plus the two discounted spells at half off comes to $880. C'mon, pay up." Chisame held out her hand expectantly. Konoka looked at her like she'd grown a second head.

"880 bucks! Are you crazy? I don't have that kind of money! In fact, I don't have any money!" Chisame simply gave the distraught girl a knowing smirk. _'Cinder-Konoka's not sure she still wants to marry the prince, huh? Well, I have a perfect way to clear her mind of any such doubts.'_

"That's ok. I'll just take it from your stepmother's bank account." Konoka paled visibly.

"B-but if I don't end up marrying the prince, stepmother will notice that the money is gone. And I'd have no way to pay her back."

"Well then, you'd better not fail, right? So hop into the carriage and let's go." Konoka sighed and reluctantly obeyed. It seemed her fairy-whatever-she-was had her locked in to become the prince's bride, but as she watched Setsuna, who was helping her into the carriage, she wondered if that is what she truly wanted.

* * *

><p>And that's a wrap. Thanks for the reviews, and please offer more, so that it doesn't take me almost another month to put the next chapter up. And unlike what I asked for in the first chapter, the reviews can be any length you wish, so long as you submit something. Once again, thank you and peace out readers.<p> 


	4. Chapter 4

Hello again, my readers. Thanks to all of you who have reviewed thus far. I would like to repeat what I wrote in my first chapter's author's note. That being that I have already completed this story and don't intend to change it. There've been certain pairings and characters mentioned in reviews, and that you wish to see more of them. I can guarantee that some of your wishes will be granted, while others may be ignored. I mean no ill will to any reviewer, and apologize for any upcoming disappointments you readers may have, but I've written my story, and I'm sticking to it.

On the subject of _Hanyo Haven_, I will say that I am still working on the new chapter and hope I can get it finished and published before the month is through. I apologize for taking nearly a year to update, but a lot has happened in my life recently, and time flies, even when things go wrong. But, at least in this chapter I won't bore you with my personal problems. Instead, I'll give you a little preview of _Hanyo Haven's_ newest installment. Main characters will be Eva and the king. Minor characters are Sayo and Remy. There will be comedy, and drama, but mostly the chapter will be accomplishing the main plot's forward movement, which is something I've been slacking off on, in previous chapters. It might not be long, but I hope you'll still like it.

Well now, time for a disclaimer. **I do not now, nor have I ever owned **_**Negima! **_If I had, I would've made sure the anime encompassed the whole of the manga, and I would've created a stand-alone novel giving the details of the 'Tsukuyomi Stalker' incident, and the sub-textually obvious marriage of Konoe Konoka to Setsuna Sakurazaki, instead of just leaving a lot of unanswered questions. That is my one, and only grievance against Akamastu-san. Other than that, the guy is amazing.

**REVIEW! REVIEW! REVIEW!**

And, without further ado…

Chapter 4

The carriage ride was entertaining, to say the least. Well, Kaede thought it was anyway. The whip she was given got broken in quite quickly between Fuka and Fumika's fights, Makie's airheaded inability to pay attention, and Evangeline's stubbornness.

_Thwack! _"Ouch!"

"Fuka, stop biting your sister."

_Whupack! _"Yipe!"

"Makie, look at the road, not at the clouds."

"But…"

"I don't care if they are shaped like an ermine."

_Ker-smack!_ "Aiih!"

"Either pull your weight, or suffer the consequences Eva."

"Just you wait. When we turn back into mice, Chachamaru will tail whip you so hard your squeak and both front teeth will fall off!" _Thwack!_ "Oww!"

"Just keep pulling and keep quiet! We're nearly there and Miss Konoka doesn't want to start out with a bad impression just because her horse was too noisy!" A very un-horse-like growl was heard in response. Meanwhile Mana, who had managed to convince Chisame to let her talk with a well-placed bribe, kept on creeping down Kaede's shoulder. She would go a little further each time, and wouldn't go quite as far back when she returned. She was so subtle in her movements that Kaede didn't even notice. Eventually, Mana made it to a place just behind Makie. With a mousy grin, and a mischievous, high-pitched chuckle, Mana leapt the, by mouse standards, substantial gap between carriage and horse and landed right on Makie's rump, startling her from her chorus of 'Froggy went a courtin' and he did ride.' She whipped her head to look behind her as far as her harness would allow, and her eyes quickly locked on the brown, furry menace. Makie let out a shrill, terrified whinny.

"Eek! A mouse!" And swiftly bolted, forcing the others to run with her. The carriage violently rattled and shook, nearly jolting the two footmen off the back. Kaede pulled with all her might, but just wasn't strong enough to stop the stampeding team. Konoka's shrieks of fright could be heard coming from inside the cab.

"Help! Someone stop this crazy thing!" Setsuna attempted to scurry up to help Kaede pull, but without her rodent agility and paw grip she nearly flew off the careening contraption, now hanging by just a hand. Thinking quickly, Mana dashed onto Makie's shoulder and called out.

"Yo, Chisame! I need you to give me another magic spell!" The fairy appeared, floating beside the rocking rig, not the least bit worried for their safety, but more amused by their plight.

"Why should I? This is better than 21st century pay-per-view." A particularly large rock went under the carriage's wheels, rocking the whole rig violently and causing Chachamaru to lose her grip and fall forward, hitting the ground with a sickening crunch. With the last of her consciousness, she barely managed to roll out of the way of the oncoming wheels. Chisame rolled her eyes and sighed dramatically. She knew she was gonna have to do something, but she wanted to hear them beg a little more.

"I'll pay double!" shouted Mana frantically. Chisame conceded and put in her Magical Bluetooth.

"Dark brown mouse whose name is Mana, transform to human form from fauna!" With the usual flash of light a beautiful, tall woman now sat astride Makie's back. Piercing gold eyes, long black hair, and dark mocha skin completed her figure, and if it wasn't for the dire situation, Kaede was sure she'd be drooling. Mana was dressed almost like Robin Hood, except without the hat, and instead of tights she wore riding breeches. Without hesitation, Mana swiftly grabbed the straps closest to Makie's head and pulled mightily.

"Whoa there, girl!" she said, as the team began to slow down. As they came to a complete stop, the horses breathed heavily, steam came from their nostrils and rolled off their sweat soaked bodies. Setsuna finally let go of the carriage, her shoulder aching from the strain, and ran back down the road, searching for the fallen Chachamaru. When she finally found her, her heart dropped. Blood and broken limbs were what was most noticeable. Movement from her chest was not.

"Oh, no! Guys, come quickly!" The carriage turned around and trotted over. Eva took one look and screamed in anguish. Her beloved servant was… Konoka dashed out of the carriage and pulled her wand from the only hiding place available with the type of dress she was wearing; her cleavage.

"Stand back!" she ordered. Once Setsuna had retreated, Konoka concentrated hard, energy visibly flowing into her wand. There were no cute little rhyming spells to fix this. No, this was advanced magic that not even fairy technical support agents knew. Speaking words of a language long forgotten by man, Konoka slowly began healing her damaged friend. Waves of healing energy radiated from the intensely glowing wand, healing all injuries sustained from the carriage ride, and even erasing the fatigue from the horses. Five minutes later, Konoka slumped over, panting from her efforts. She was rewarded when Chachamaru opened her eyes, blinked in confusion, and sat up, good as new. Eva whinnied happily as her servant came and pet her, then realized how she was acting and stopped short.

"Good to- I mean I'm glad you're- Oh, bollocks! Be more careful next time! And as for you, Makie, why the hell did you freak out when you saw a mouse?"

"Mice creep me out." Makie replied. If Eva'd had a hand she would have face palmed.

"_We're_ mice, you know."

"So? What's that got to do with anything?" There was a collective groan from the group.

"Never mind. Let's just go, we're late. It's already 10:20 and Konoka still has to win this guy over." Mana said. They all glared at her since she was the cause of the whole fiasco, but didn't have the time to berate her at the moment. Setsuna helped Konoka into the carriage again, and away they went.

The rest of the trip was fairly silent, except for a few cricket chirps, and the voices coming from two very troubled minds. Konoka was very confused. She'd thought she was in love with the prince like all the other young girls in town were. Although they were all thinking of how Negi'd be when he grew up…except for Mary, the evil bitch from down the lane. She just had a thing for cute little boys.

And now, of course, it was Nagi whom she'd have to win over, and from what Chisame had said that would be a whole other ball game…

Anyway, Konoka had been fully prepared to win whoever over and happiness would be guaranteed…But then, suddenly here was this gorgeously androgynous girl, who was both her best friend, and her pet mouse. She was sure she could fix it for them to be together. All it would take was a lot of begging, and a substantial amount of money paid to Chisame. But then how would she ever pay back her stepmother? She _and _Setsuna would end up being her indentured servants forever! Konoka just couldn't do that to Setsuna. And besides, what if Setsuna didn't want to be human? What if she liked being a mouse? She _was_ pretty adamant about being changed back earlier. Who's to say that she wouldn't want Konoka to turn rodent for her instead? And for that matter, who's to say she loved Konoka _that _way at all? So many questions. And then there's the prince. She might like him when she finally meets him. It is possible she might be happier with him. She had always wanted a child, after all. And Setsuna can't give her that. Oh, what was she to do?

The other turbulent mind was Setsuna's. How on earth was she to save Konoka's heart from the manipulations of the vile prince? Well, he was vile in her mind, anyway. She only had til midnight to let Konoka know how she feels, and then she'd probably have to fight Chisame, who seemed dead set on a royal wedding. She had no magic powers, no real skill with fighting of any kind except the small tussles she and the other six had had. How could she stand up to someone so powerful? Of course, there's still the question of whether or not Konoka loved her the same way. And if she did which world would they live in? Setsuna liked the idea of staying human. They lived _way_ longer, and they led such interesting lives, at least from what she'd heard Konoka tell about them. Of course, if Konoka would prefer to be a mouse, Setsuna could live with that too. But how was she supposed to confess to her? Sure, as a mouse she had told Konoka she loved her many times, but she couldn't understand her then. Now she could understand her, but Setsuna couldn't get the words out. Man, what was she gonna do?

And that's a wrap, folks! Well, a little action, a little comedy, and wrapped up nicely with a dramatic and emotional cliffhanger. I know it's short, but I hope you still liked it. A quick warning before I take my leave. As the story continues, some characters get a bit OOC. And the Nagi I am using in this story is not Negi's father. The character I'm using is more based off of the fake Nagi's body, with a completely different personality. You'll see what I mean in a few chapters. Well, I'm off. Peace out, readers!


End file.
